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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28251357">Santa Baby</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BethAdastra/pseuds/BethAdastra'>BethAdastra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Promare (2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Featuring one Very Adult Joke, Lio is scared of relationships, M/M, Mall Santa Claus, One Night Stand with the potential for more, Sexytimes are offscreen sorry kids I'm tired, cue dress up montage, mall rat shenanigans ensue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:34:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28251357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BethAdastra/pseuds/BethAdastra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lio decides to take matters into his own hands when he sees Galo play Santa at the local mall. Oneshot.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Promare Holiday Potluck 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Santa Baby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Promare Holiday Potluck, just because... (gestures at all of 2020). Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lio had been known to do the occasional stupid thing.</p>
<p>And <em>no</em>, he was <em>not</em> counting that one time he convinced a firefighter to set the entire planet on fire.</p>
<p>And no, if you were feeling bold enough to ask if any of the other attempts at arson, stealing, lying, or general anarchy counted, he’d deny that too.</p>
<p>This was just a different kind of stupid, the kind he had never been able to try out in his younger years.</p>
<p>It wasn’t like anyone’s life was on the line this time. He just… wanted? Needed? He had to <em>do</em> this thing, this stupid juvenile awkward silly and overdressed thing, if for no one else, then for his own sanity.</p>
<p>’Tis the season and all that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It all started when Meis and Guiera suggested they go and check out the festivities at the city’s main mall.</p>
<p>“That sounds like a stupid idea.”</p>
<p>“Aw, don’t be such a grouch, Boss! It’d be nice to see some holiday lights! Maybe buy some crap! Do lots of people watching…”</p>
<p>Guiera was the biggest advocate for the mall trip, and while Meis stayed silent on the matter, it was plain to see that wherever Guiera decided to go, he would go as well.</p>
<p>Lio was firmly in opposition. Shopping at the mall seemed tacky, overly capitalist, and in direct conflict with the spirit of the holiday season. He could easily buy gifts at a smaller shop and support local businesses over the big chains. Plus, the last time he had set foot in a mall, it had been to steal… and he wasn’t about to voluntarily take <em>that</em> trip down memory lane again.</p>
<p>Guiera had other ideas, though, so he started switching tactics, and tried bribery.</p>
<p>“I’ll buy you one of those fancy Buckstar coffees you like so much. Extra whipped cream, even. Large.” He gave a winning smile, and Lio scoffed. He had a soft spot for sweet, caffeinated drinks, now that he could buy them whenever he wanted, and the warmth of the coffee kept him from thinking too much about his lack of firepower.</p>
<p>But he stood his ground.</p>
<p>“Malls are gross and overcrowded, and our feet will hurt from all that walking. I don’t think there’s even anything I <em>want</em> to buy.” He sighed. “You both can go on without me.”</p>
<p>Guiera nodded, and went for the jugular.</p>
<p>“Galo’s volunteering at Santaland today.”</p>
<p>“<em>What</em>.”</p>
<p>“Remember? Last week? When Galo lost the drawing at Burning Rescue?”</p>
<p>“The <em>rigged</em> drawing.”</p>
<p>“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Meis spoke up. And he was right. Galo had voluntarily gone into the drawing when he could have easily said no. Fair and square. It was his own fault if he was too dumb to see that drawing straws had been entirely rigged, and that by wearing his gloves, he couldn’t feel out the straws that weren’t the shortest.</p>
<p>He had been a good sport about it all, joking that he already had the boots, gloves, and big red suit while everyone else doubled over as they plotted the best ways to fatten him up.</p>
<p>Lio suddenly decided maybe scoping out the mall wasn’t such a terrible idea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ride to the mall was relatively short, but it still felt like an eternity to Lio. It should have been a cheery affair. With power restored to almost the whole city, holiday lights dusted the streets and store windows, and it wasn’t cold enough yet for walking outside to be a miserable affair.</p>
<p>When Lio saw the line for visiting Santa stretch through nearly half the mall, his heart sank down into his stomach. They’d be here for hours.</p>
<p>Meis waved, bypassing the line, and pointed to a coffee stand.</p>
<p>“We came here to watch, not actually partake. What are you, like, five, Lio?”</p>
<p>Guiera smirked, and grinned conspiratorially at his partner. “Yeah, since when has Lio been such a fan of the holidays? Maybe he wants to sit in Santa’s lap and tell him what he wants for Christmas.”</p>
<p>“You’re disgusting.” Lio bit out as they stepped forward to order some drinks.</p>
<p>Ever since he had crashed at Galo’s apartment one time (<em>ONE time! </em>It was just takeout dinner and Lio accidentally fell asleep on the couch), he’d never heard the end of it from the others. It was doubly annoying because they knew that Galo and Lio had shared <em>something</em> during the Second World Blaze, as short as it was, and they seemed to be convinced now that they were some sort of couple with unrequited feelings.</p>
<p>There was no magical link that either of them were aware of. They couldn’t read each others minds. Galo had no promare powers. Lio didn’t think he spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about Galo, and he was pretty sure Galo would have mentioned something like that already in all his brutal honesty.</p>
<p>Guiera had been pretty disappointed that they couldn’t read each other’s minds. Of course, that whole conversation quickly turned to him asking Lio plainly if they had banged yet. Lio managed not to sound defensive when he responded, “Piloting an alien-powered mech has nothing to do with our love lives.”</p>
<p>Meis asked if Galo was banging anyone, and then Lio got defensive for real, and repeated, “Piloting an alien-powered mech has <em>nothing</em> to do with our love lives.”</p>
<p>“Or lack thereof.” Guiera cackled before Lio jostled him, and they moved on to talk about less personal things.</p>
<p>Those three words echoed forward in Lio’s mind as he watched what was sure to be hundreds of people file through in line.</p>
<p>Galo was hardly a convincing Santa. He was so obviously too young, with no wrinkles or real facial hair, and even with a poorly-fitted suit, he couldn’t even make the argument that he was chubby, porky, or even big-boned.</p>
<p>But whatever he lacked in appearance, he made up for with enthusiasm, and it was contagious.</p>
<p>Lio never realized how good Galo could be with kids.</p>
<p>When one toddler sneezed on him, fully on the face, he had the grace to wipe the kid’s boogery nose first, quickly wipe his own with the other sleeve, and wait until the kid had left before using sanitizer like a face wash.</p>
<p>Some kids loudly proclaimed they knew he wasn’t the real Santa, and each time, Galo nodded diplomatically, and told them that they were very clever, but that the real Santa had asked him personally to help gather all the letters from the kids because it was just <em>such</em> a busy year.</p>
<p>A lot of kids stared, said nothing, or worst of all, started crying. The first crier made Lio cringe; it was a performance worthy of a soprano making her debut. It surely was loud enough.</p>
<p>But it didn’t even faze Galo. He smiled, wiggled his mittened hands, and pointed to the photographer, who held up a puppy toy, and it gave the baby pause enough to take a watery-eyed photo, before being quickly handed off to their parents, who cooed over “how brave little baby was.”</p>
<p>Other kids cried because they were tired. Some cried simply because Galo wasn’t their mother. Most cried because they didn’t fully realize what they had signed up for until they were next in line, didn’t know what to do, and panicked. Galo seemed to know what to say for all of them.</p>
<p>When the ex-Burnish trio came close to an hour of ogling and swirling their drinks around, a gaggle of girls took one of the tables nearby and regaled each other with tales of their undeserving relatives and showing off their holiday haul.</p>
<p>One of the girls nudged another, and they began to turn their attention to the unorthodox Santa. Their looks were… <em>appreciative</em>, and that was Lio putting it lightly.</p>
<p>Meis and Guiera were talking about dirt bikes… or ATV’s… or something about making a road trip out to Old Moab… something with a lot of wheels and a lot of dirt.</p>
<p>The girls were louder.</p>
<p>“I sure wouldn’t mind telling him what I want for Christmas!”</p>
<p>“Oh, you’re so bad!”</p>
<p>“Do you think he’ll take my number if I tell him I’ve been naughty this year?”</p>
<p>“Get in line and find out!”</p>
<p>“Sigh… all I want for Christmas is <em>him</em>.”</p>
<p>The group squealed and giggled amongst themselves, delighting in the eye candy they’d never have the courage to grab, but could still enjoy from a distance.</p>
<p>Something descended over Lio. He wouldn’t call it a red mist, because that implied rage and bloodshed. It wasn’t quite pink, or blue, or violet, or, well, any other particularly vivid color. But it felt blinding nevertheless, and it blocked out his hearing just as well as any other blood rage. The tinny sound of <em>Santa Baby</em> coming from the overhead speakers slowed and turned to an echo. Call it a static, or a fried circuit board, or the last functioning brain cell leaving his body.</p>
<p>But he stood, and Guiera and Meis gave him a strange look, and one of them seemed to move their mouth as if saying, “Are you okay, Lio?”</p>
<p>There was a booming in his chest and ears, surely that wasn’t the rush of his own blood moving in and out of his skull?</p>
<p>“We need to go shopping.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without waiting for agreement or inquiry, Lio left the coffee bar’s seating to find something more… provocative than the current ensemble he had on.</p>
<p>He wasn’t in any particular mood to explain why exactly he wanted that, especially considering his usual fashion taste was already pretty flashy, but he counted himself blessed when Guiera and Meis stopped asking questions like, “Why?” “Where are we going?” “What the hell are you doing?” and instead got into the spirit of Lio playing dress up.</p>
<p>As far as they were concerned, Lio had never spent a cent on anything selfish in his life, and they were ready to enable this fiscal change of heart, and even pitched in when Lio eyed a pair of scandalously expensive boots in one shop window.</p>
<p>“Those shoes were practically made for you.” Meis said with a shrug when they made it to the register, and Guiera snatched Lio’s wallet away while Meis paid.</p>
<p>“Lio, this is batshit insane, and I approve of it. It took you long enough!” Guiera crowed while he continued waving the wallet high enough that Lio couldn’t reach.</p>
<p>“What is that supposed to mean?” he growled.</p>
<p>“He means absolutely nothing.” Meis bit out while he smacked the back of Guiera’s head, and handed Lio his backpack with his old shoes stowed inside.</p>
<p>Lio stared them both down, hoping to to get one of them to crack. To their credit, they remained silent as they left the store. He supposed this would be a conversation for another day.</p>
<p>The new shoes got Lio plenty of looks, but he was too determined to pay anyone any mind.</p>
<p>He had to wear something, do something completely out of his usual routine. Maybe he’d find something red? Galo liked red. Red was festive. Red was eye-catching. Red was-</p>
<p>
  <em>Perfect.</em>
</p>
<p>He pointed at an outfit, worn by a lanky woman with too much tanning product and glitter spray on a large window decal, and Meis gave a low whistle.</p>
<p>“You sure, boss?”</p>
<p>“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The dress try-on was a resounding success.</p>
<p>As Lio cleared the dressing room, and pulled off the tag so that he could buy the dress while wearing it, Guiera sniffled, and mumbled something along the lines of, “If he doesn’t appreciate this I’ll kill him, I swear to god I’ll really kill him…”</p>
<p>Lio felt like a heavy blush was taking up permanent residence on his face when he got a chorus of “WOW’s” from the cashiers. Meis silently handed Lio his coat, and he took it with some small sense of relief. As he shouldered on his coat the glory of his holiday outfit dimmed ever so slightly.</p>
<p>And while his determination was still there, his confidence was waning with each compliment that came his way from strangers.</p>
<p>What if Galo was too busy, and they missed each other?</p>
<p>What if Lio lost his nerve, and didn’t even make it to Santaland?</p>
<p>What if Galo didn’t like it?</p>
<p>What if Galo <em>turned him down??</em></p>
<p>With every step, his confidence waned, and he felt dumber and dumber. This was selfish. And a little petty. All risk, and the potential for no reward.</p>
<p>This might be the stupidest thing he’d ever done.</p>
<p>No, no. This was <em>definitely</em> the stupidest thing he’d ever done. It was absolutely juvenile. Completely… how did Guiera put it? Batshit insane.</p>
<p>As luck would have it, Lucia of all people was loitering near the entrance, where velvet ropes and kitschy decor blocked his path. A worthy gatekeeper. Lio tried and failed miserably at acting completely nonchalant as he took off his coat.</p>
<p>“Lucia. I have a favor to ask.”</p>
<p>When she turned, she grinned in recognition. When she looked at him, and really <em>looked</em>, her grin sharpened, and she looked positively feral.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Galo sank into the oversized throne the moment the photographer’s spotlight turned off. He was done. Finally. He had accomplished the impossible; juggling what felt like the whole of Promepolis aged under 10. And then some. Plenty of onlooking housewives with itchy contacts from how much they were blinking and winking. Maybe a handful of househusbands too.</p>
<p>But it didn’t bother him much, he was here for the kids. This was all for the kids.</p>
<p>“Galo, you’ve got one more!”</p>
<p>“Lucia! They closed the line, like, an hour ago!” he whined.</p>
<p>“But it’s <em>Cwistmaws!”</em> she babied, patting both of her cheeks to create the impression of looking sad. Lucia didn’t do emotions, so it immediately put Galo on the defense. She was up to something.</p>
<p>“Shouldn’t we get the lights back on?” he pointed at the now-vacant photo set up, thinking of all the parents who obsessed over those photos of their kids.</p>
<p>“Nah. This one’s shy.”</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow. “Did the parents say if they were naughty or nice?”</p>
<p>She cackled.</p>
<p>“Oh he’s been naughty. Very naughty.”</p>
<p>He grumbled, a close approximation of “Fine…” and adjusted his hat. Lucia disappeared behind a set of trees.</p>
<p>Galo breathed in through his nose, and got back into the zone. It was just this one bratty kid, and he’d be free to go home. Just spend a few seconds talking, and he could douse himself in industrial cleaning foam, scour himself down to the bone, and pass out with a beer in his hand in front of the tv.</p>
<p>Just one kid.</p>
<p>Totally manageable.</p>
<p>When Lio of all people stepped out, Galo had to check himself to keep from acting too casual. Maybe Lio was accompanying the kid, and they were just too shy to come out. He squinted, looking in the lowered lighting for anyone else, and realized Lio was the only one there.</p>
<p>“Lio?”</p>
<p>When he looked closer, he bit the inside of his cheek. Lio was wearing what surely must be the most gaudy little number of a dress, and boots that rode so high they almost touched the hem. The red velvet was almost indigo in the low lights, and fuzzy white trim circled his thighs, wrists, and shoulders. Galo wasn’t sure which accentuated Lio’s thin limbs better, his leather belt buckles, or this. The large neckline also brought out the shape of his neck and collarbone, with one part of the collar dipping down past his shoulder. For Lio, he was showing a lot of skin. The boots were the cruelest choice out of all of it though. Lio liked a bit of heel in his shoe, Galo knew this, but these were full-on stilletos, just as sharp in the toe as they were at the heel. He desperately tried not to imagine Lio wearing <em>just</em> the boots.</p>
<p>He failed miserably, gulped, and dumbly said, “Lio…” again.</p>
<p>Lio crawled up onto the chair. He sat right on Galo’s lap. Like. His legs were <em>there.</em> Over his own. Most kids just opted to sit next to him! Laps were for babies! Maybe if a kid wanted a hug. Not for someone with Lio’s build, in such a skimpy short skirt, with those long slender legs that went up to…</p>
<p>Galo’s sinuses tingled. He hoped his nose wasn’t gushing blood.</p>
<p>Lio showed a magnificent amount of self control as he looped an arm around Galo’s neck, and managed not to meet his eyes at all.</p>
<p>“Uh. I didn’t know you liked Christmas so much!” he blurted.</p>
<p>Lio eyes flashed up, and Galo was totally done for.</p>
<p>“I have a request to make,” Lio tapped a finger to Galo’s lips before he could make any noises, “and I haven’t done this in a while. So bear with me.”</p>
<p>Galo nodded maybe half a dozen times in a single second. Anything to keep Lio perched here just a little longer. He knew that look. Lio was on a war path. And if Galo had to hazard a guess, Lio had jumped in without any sort of strategy. Or, if he wanted to count Lio’s lack of clothing, he supposed that could count as a strategy…</p>
<p>“Santa. I haven’t been very good this year. I stole a few things. Set some stuff on fire… A lot of stuff, actually.” Lio had the nerve to sound very serious and look remorseful. “I got in trouble with the law, too. Lots of people have been hurt because of me. Ugh, god… the <em>more</em> I say this stuff the <em>worse</em> it sounds. Who on earth would have the nerve to ask for gifts after a year like that?"</p>
<p>“It isn’t a negotiation, you know.”</p>
<p>“Shh! I’m not done!”</p>
<p>“Okay.” Galo chuckled through Lio’s hand.</p>
<p>“I… I’ve been trying to be good. Not just for reparations and all that… I’m just. I’m trying to be a good person. And I want to be happy. And if you’re really as good with gifts as you are with setting things on fire…”</p>
<p>“HEY! I put out fires! Not start them!”</p>
<p>Lio laughs, shakes his head, and sighs.</p>
<p>“I need to be really selfish. I’m only asking for one thing, really. Short term. No strings.”</p>
<p>“I can’t ask the big man if I don’t know what it is you want specifically.” He winked.</p>
<p>“You.”</p>
<p>Galo stared. Lio inhaled, and held out his hands defensively.</p>
<p>“I’m not asking for a commitment or anything! I’m just… it’s hard to trust anyone right now. Or at least, to trust anyone enough for a fling, or a one night thing or…” he grimaced while Galo tried to keep his smile diplomatic, “you get what I’m saying. I don’t want to invite just anyone back home. Maybe that makes me picky. I don’t know…” he trailed off, and went red in the face. “But there’s a lot of steam I need to let off. And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Me. You. But I know you… you aren’t in the best place either. And like I said, it’s me being selfish.” He looked away. Reality was setting in, so he was less frazzled, but he was definitely getting more cynical. “You probably don’t even want a fling, you’re the kind of guy to go all in. Romance. Talking. Dating. And that’s good and you deserve it, <em>god</em>, out of anyone in the world, you deserve it the most… but I… I know I’m not ready for that. I don’t know if I’ll <em>ever</em> be ready for that…”</p>
<p>He was looking down, and fidgeting with the sinfully short hem of the dress.</p>
<p>“I just had to be selfish for a minute. I had to see what staking a claim would be like… what you would… I. Sorry. This outfit is itchy as hell.” He whipped his head up, and set his mouth in that determined line that Galo liked so much.</p>
<p>“One night. Nothing else. If it doesn’t work, we’re still friends, but we’ll never try again.”</p>
<p>Galo felt the air getting sucked out of him.</p>
<p>If he had his way, he’d like a lot more than just one night with Lio. A hell of a lot more.</p>
<p>But Lio isn’t ready for that.</p>
<p>And for once, Galo is okay with this. Lio is his friend first and foremost. If Lio is willing to put this much effort into a singular fling, Galo’ll happily wait to see what he comes up with when he wants something more… permanent.</p>
<p>“One night? Hmm…” he pretended to think about it, “that seems fair.”</p>
<p>“Wha?”</p>
<p>He grinned, and hitched a gloved hand under Lio’s legs so that he could be pulled close. He’s not sure why Lio is so surprised that he’s accepting, but it’s endearing. “I mean, Santa only gets to come once a year anyways.”</p>
<p>Galo was then treated to seeing Lio’s face darken to match his dress almost perfectly, and remember what it was like to have the upper hand.</p>
<p>He hadn’t felt this good since the day he had slapped a set of handcuffs on Lio the first time they met.</p>
<p>“You’re such an idiot…” Lio gasps before Galo can think of anything else clever to say, and pulls him in for a kiss.</p>
<p>Sound and sight and scent and sensation suddenly don’t matter. What else could matter if you’re being kissed on the mouth by Lio Fotia? <em>The</em> Lio Fotia?? All Galo wants to do is sink into it and let it wrap around him like a fuzzy, oversized blanket. He closes his eyes. Sighs. Presses back and cups the back of Lio’s head.</p>
<p>It’s perfect.</p>
<p>And if he’s getting just one night of it, he’ll take it.</p>
<p>Lio breaks away, eyes glittering and mouth slightly open, and it feels like it’s the first time Galo has really <em>seen</em> him. Seeing Lio like this makes perfect sense, seeing how the capillaries in his cheeks flood with blood and color, and how easy it is to reach out and tuck some loose hair behind his ear.</p>
<p>“Wow…” is all Galo can say while he wears a smile that already hurts his face. Lio moves down to kiss along his throat, and it takes all of his willpower not to let his smile tear his face in half.</p>
<p>“I feel so filthy.” He mumbles into Galo’s neck.</p>
<p>“You didn’t have a thousand snotty babies sitting in your lap.”</p>
<p>“Don’t remind me.”</p>
<p>Galo laughs, and a smile is glued to his face when he peels Lio off of him, takes his hand, and leads him to the back room where his clothes were kept. He smiles all the way to his bike, parked out in the near-empty lot, and all the way home, where Lio keeps clutching at his waist, sighing into the joining of his shoulder and neck, and all the way into his apartment.</p>
<p>He can't really claim he's smiling when he and Lio are... well... as close as people can be. But it feels pretty damn close to smiling.</p>
<p>He smiles when Lio asks if he can stay the whole night.</p>
<p>He wants to ask if Lio would like to stay longer, but he'll save that for morning. The forecast calls for snow, and he knows for a fact that Lio isn't working or volunteering or doing any other glamorous ex-Burnish tasks. He knows how to make a very convincing argument with nothing but a plate of brunch food and boxers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ho ho ho-ly shit wow you made this far into an un-beta-ed fic!</p>
<p>As a treat, here's the art that birthed this whole story: https://twitter.com/AdastraBeth/status/1339395303141740545?s=20 </p>
<p>Happy Holidays!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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